Waking up with conjunction-itis

There’s something special about conjunctions. They’re surreal, like laughter in a dark hallway. Rather suddenly, two or more celestial luminaries come together. The pattern lasts a single night. You’ll never see it again … well, not exactly.

What a contrast from the permanence astronomy normally offers. Orion’s familiar belt and the W of Cassiopeia were etched into our childhood memories, at least subconsciously. They even may be imprinted on our nervous systems, as humans have stared at them for untold millennia. They don’t merely look familiar; they feel familiar. Not so with conjunctions.

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